Home Improvement Article

Fix a Leaky Toilet

If your toilet continues to fill and leak at the end of a flush, replace the fill valve and the flapper.

The original toilet fill valves are the old fashioned floating ball-on-an-arm type. Its an ok design when it works. But when it eventually wears out, the modern self-contained fill valves make for an easier and more reliable replacement. And while you are it you should replace the rubber flapper too.

Replacement kits are available for less than $15.00 at places like Home Depot and Lowes. Or online at Amazon.com. The two kits that I recommend are;

The Fluidmaster W43C which is only available at Home Depot. A Similar model, the 400C is not recommended as some report that it is noisy.

The Korky® QuietFill® Fill Valve & Flapper p/n: 818BP. Available on Amazon.com and maybe Lowes as they carry Korky products.

Do-it-yourself replacement is fairly straight forward. If you have replaced these parts before you should have no problem. Otherwise, get a friend to help you. Or of course you could call a plumber.

Note: If you live in the apartments or are leasing a condo or townhome, call your landlord.